Cycas siamensis | Thai Sago

A healthy, young Thai Sago (Cycas siamensis). This is a striking cycad with a neat symmetrical palm-like crown. Cycas siamensis is native to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where it grows in rocky, well-drained soils and handles hot dry seasons. It forms a chunky, textured trunk (caudex) and a compact crown of stiff silver-green fronds, making it one of the more ornamental cycads.

In New Zealand it’s happy in a sunny, free-draining garden spot in frost-free areas, or it can be kept as an indoor or patio specimen in a pot. As it matures, it develops into a beautiful, architectural feature plant that looks almost prehistoric.